Newton, the Pioneer - Palm, the Revolution In 1993, Apple's pen-based MessagePad, commonly known as the "Newton," was the pioneer in this field, and then-Apple CEO John Sculley actually coined the term PDA. However, PalmPilots, introduced three years later, popularized the technology. See Newton, Palm and personal communicator.

The Newton

Ahead of its time, Apple's Newton pioneered the PDA concept in 1993 and later spun off Newton, Inc. to specialize in the technology. Menus were tapped and text was entered with a stylus. (Image courtesy of Apple Inc.)

The PalmPilot

Introduced in 1996, the PalmPilot was the first model of the Palm family, which started a revolution in handheld organizers. (Image courtesy of palmOne, Inc.)

Palm Treo

In 2002, the Palm Treo was a phone and PDA in one unit. Along with the BlackBerry, this was the start of combining applications with a phone. (Image courtesy of Palm, Inc.)

Nursing home employees who use PDAs to access and record patient information should be asked to sign employee confidentiality agreements in which they agree to safeguard patient information, take responsibility for its protection and face sanctions if it is compromised.

In other words, while a short range will do for a PDA swapping data with a PC, other applications--such as enabling a centrally located stereo system to transmit music to amplified loudspeakers in rooms throughout a home--might require greater range.

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